Archive for January, 2013

We’re settling back into our everyday routine after a weekend of fun at The Philadelphia Inquirer Travel Show, but we have one more piece of business we need to attend to. We collected names throughout the weekend to gift one lucky attendee a free trip for two to Costa Rica, and it’s time to announce the winner here on our blog.

We have randomly selected one winner, and the anticipation to announce the news is killing me. Drumroll please … The winner of our Captivating Costa Rica tour is Sue Dilella. Congratulations!

Sue, look out for an email from me soon with all the details on how to claim your prize. I’m sure you’ll have a blast. We’d love to feature your trip experience, and we’ll be in touch on how you can share updates and photos that we might post on our blog.

Thanks to everyone who braved the cold weather and snow to come out and see us at The Philadelphia Inquirer Travel Show. We had a great time, and will be sharing more takeaways from the event on our blog in the upcoming weeks. Stay tuned!

As the Northeast experiences its first bout of Arctic air this winter, many of us have started to dream of destinations with warmer climates, like tropical Costa Rica for instance. If you live in the Philadelphia or the tri-state area, you’re in luck! We’re giving away a free trip for two on our Captivating Costa Rica tour (a combined value of $2,658) at The Philadelphia Inquirer Travel Show this weekend. Visit booth #422 to enter to win a trip to this beautiful and fascinating destination on us!

As an added bonus, all Travel Show attendees who visit the Friendly Planet booth will also receive a special $50 discount coupon for use on any Friendly Planet tour. And of course, the team and I will be there to answer questions and share knowledge about travel destinations all over the world, including Cuba and Myanmar to name a few.

I’ll also be presenting at the show again this year on Saturday, Jan. 26 at 11:45 a.m. I’ll be sharing 7 exotic destinations that you can experience for the price of a Vegas weekend. My goal is to encourage you to trade in that ordinary trip for an extraordinary vacation, and I’ll reveal global hotspots that you can visit for less than the price of a weekend in Las Vegas. Don’t believe me? Come see for yourself!

If given the chance, would you quit your job, sell your house, and leave your friends and family behind to travel the world and see its wonders firsthand? This seems daunting, but there are days that I’d love to shelf my responsibilities and travel to my heart’s content. Gary Arndt, author of the travel blog Everything Everywhere, which was named by Time Magazine as one of the Top 25 Blogs in the World in 2010, has done just that.

He sold his business in 1998 to a multinational corporation, and after a whirlwind tour of their overseas offices, he was struck by the travel bug. Gary sold his home in 2007 and began to travel the world, for what he thought was going to be a one or two year trip. Five years later, his journey continues.

At last count, Gary has visited all seven continents, over 116 countries and territories around the world, all 50 U.S. states, 9 of of 10 Canadian provinces, every Australian state and territory, over 125 U.S. National Park Service sites, and over 180 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

We wanted to hear more about why Gary decided to start traveling, what he enjoys most about travel, the biggest lesson he’s learned, and where he’s heading next. Read on for these details and more.

1) What sparked your decision to sell your house in 2007 and start traveling? Was it a difficult decision to make?
I had reached a point in my life where I didn’t know what to do. I enjoyed traveling, so I decided to go travel. It was actually a very easy decision for me to make. I had nothing tying me down, so it wasn’t as big of a decision as it would be for most people.(more…)

About Peggy

Peggy Goldman is a specialty tour operator and travel expert, who owns and operates Friendly Planet Travel, a full-service company that specializes in tour packages to exotic worldwide destinations at affordable prices. More about Peggy